The 'Does He Like Me' Quiz
by follow you into the night
Summary: Amber is convinced that Fabian likes Nina, and vice versa. Fabian needs to talk to Nina...in private. Before Nina meets Fabian though, Amber forces Nina to take a quiz to prove that Fabian likes her. FABINA!
1. Chapter 1

_**Here is my second House of Anubis story! Thank you for choosing to read it! Sadly it took me hours to write, partially because I was watching movies with my friend at the same time...but anyways! I have had the idea of using a quiz to show that Fabian likes Nina for a while, but I only just got time to write it. I know that this is cliche, but when I said I was watching movies, I meant Disney movies. We just watched The Little Mermaid, The Sleeping Beauty, Mulan, and now, my favorite, Anastasia! I promise it isn't like any of those movies, just the cliche ending. Anyways, I have wasted your time long enough!**_

_**Please Enjoy! ;D**_

"Come on Nina! Admit it already that you are totally in love with Fabian!"

"Amber! Shh…somebody might hear you!" I quickly twisted towards the door to make sure that it was firmly shut.

"I knew it! You wouldn't be this nervous if you didn't like him!" I watched in dread as Amber began running around the room squealing. Of course she was right. I may have only known Fabian for a few months now, but it was impossible to not fall for him.

The problem was that I was terrified that he might not like me back. Fabian Rutter is an adorably sweet guy, and also my best friend. I trusted him with everything….everything but my feelings towards him.

So that is exactly why I could not tell Amber. Though Amber is a very close friend and my roommate, she is not well known for being able to keep secrets. This is one secret I was not risking getting out. She had been amazing this entire time with the whole Sibuna club, mystery thing, but she was a girly-girl, gossip queen at heart.

"Amber! Fabian and I are just friends. The only thing I am nervous about is Jerome and Alfie over hearing you and planning some prank." I felt bad about lying to Amber, she really was a nice girl. However she immediately seemed to understand. Her face blanked for a moment, as if she was thinking, before her face lit up.

"Oh my gosh! Sorry Nina! Don't worry, you're secret is safe with me." I smacked by head into my hands in defeat. There was no way I would ever be able to convince Amber that I didn't like Fabian. I desperately hope that I am not really that obvious.

I slumped against the headboard of my bed as Amber gleefully took a seat at the end of my bed. Her hands were clasped tight and she was still practically jumping up and down with joy.

"This is just the greatest. Everybody has been talking about how cute a couple Fabian and you would make. Thanks to Mick, I know that Fabian likes you, as if that wasn't already obvious enough, and now I know for sure that you like Fabian!" My eyes widened as Amber talked, but they grew to be saucers when she yelled Fabian's name in her excitement.

"Yes?" My heart literally jumped out of my chest when I heard our door creak open to reveal the curious face of none other than Fabian Rutter. He looked confused, and I figured he had probably been on his way up to talk to someone when he heard his name being called.

My eyes darted to Amber, and I immediately cut her off from talking by jumping off the bed. That look on her face was very familiar. It meant that she would probably tell Fabian exactly why she said his name and there was no way I wanted him to hear that.

"Fabian! Funny, Amber and I were just talking about how we didn't understand the biology assignment. We thought maybe you could help us tomorrow night?"

"We were?" I felt like dying when those words left Ambers mouth.

"Yes Amber. We were." I sent Amber a look and luckily she quickly caught on.

"Oh! Yep! That is exactly what we were talking about. Me and biology do not understand eachother. Now if we were talking about the relationship between David Beckham and Victoria Beckham rather than gross green blob and smelly purple blob, then I would definitely make an A."

Fabian was looking back and forth between us in utter confusion. I fought back a blush, which was really hard because this is Fabian we are talking about. Who wouldn't blush when he has that cute little frown on his face with his perfect wind-swept hair and…and just everything!

"Well, uh, sure. I can help out with biology."

"Thank you so much Fabian. Okay well, I guess we will see you in the morning." I walked forward to close the door, but he quickly stopped me, though a blush was apparent on his face.

"Actually, Nina, I came up here to ask you something."

We stood there staring at each other for a moment, though his eyes darted around a lot.

"Umm, in private." He shot a glance towards Amber and I nodded my head in understanding. "Okay. I will meet you in the common room in five minutes."

He nodded In relief as he pulled the door closed. I stood with my ear pressed against it until I was sure he was half way down the stairs.

"Amber! You need to keep your voice down! He could have heard you!"

"Yes, he could have, but he didn't…unfortunately."

I gave her an exasperated look as I ran a hand through my hair. "Well I better not keep him waiting."

"Hold up, Nina." I turned my head to see Amber grabbing her laptop. She quickly typed something then motioned me over to sit back on the bed. I decided to do as she said. When I looked at the screen I immediately tried to jump back up again.

"Nuh uh. Sit back down." I was sure my entire face was red by now. I looked back at the screen again. The headline read: The 'Does He Like Me' Quiz.

"Amber this is ridiculous. A quiz can't tell me whether Fabian likes me or not!"

"It won't hurt to try. Anyways, I'm curious to see the results. Questions one: _When you look at him what does he do?"_

I scanned through the answers as fast as I could. 'He never looks at me.' That definitely wasn't it.

'_He smiles a little and then looks away.'_ He certainly has done that before. The first time was my second day at this school. I had been reading in the common room and he had been building a house of cards at the eating table. We both glanced at each other at the same moment and he had given me a shy smile before turning back to his cards. I didn't bother reading the other options; I just pointed at that answer.

Amber smiled happily. "Question two: _When the two of you talk, how does the conversation start?"_

The answer options were pretty standard: friendly hello, never spoken before, he stutters. The options which seemed the best choice was _'It depends. We talk a lot, sometimes I start it, sometimes he does.'_ This was true enough, especially since Fabian and I are best friends.

Amber clicked that option then continued. "Question three: _What is his body language like when he's around you or talking to you?"_

I sighed loudly. "Do we really have to finish this? Amber just nodded her head exuberantly.

'_He seems distracted or looks at his watch a lot.'_ Definite no.

The next one said something about him staring at my lips. I blushed. If he ever had, I never noticed.

After that it said that he talked to me like I was one of the guys. I've had guy friends before so I knew what it was like when a guy treated you like one of the guys. I can't remember a time when Fabian had ever acted like this though.

'_He touches me on the arm or shoulder sometimes when we talk.'_ There was this one time, right after I had told Amber about the mystery, when I thought Fabian might hold my shoulders to comfort me, but he had pulled away almost immediately. There were a few other occasions where we has brushed arms or hands, but Amber didn't need to know that.

The last option said: _'He leans toward me and seems to be a really good listener.'_ Now that was true. Every single time we find a new clue or sometimes when we are just talking, Fabian always leans forward in order to give me his complete attention. Amber grinned joyfully when I pointed at it.

"Question four: _How do his friends treat you?"_ Amber rolled her eyes as if this was a wasted question.

I considered the possibility that the only reason everybody at the House of Anubis was now my friend because Fabian had broken the ice by befriending me first. My first few days at this English boarding school had been spent friendless with everybody either ignoring me or interrogating me.

So I easily picked the option which read: '_They have been nicer or talking to me more lately.'_ I laughed when I saw that Amber already had it checked off.

"Final Question_: More about his behavior around you_." Amber stared confusedly at the screen. "But that isn't even a question." I smirked as she had another one of her blonde moments.

'_He is shy and quiet around me.'_ Fabian was a naturally shy and quiet person, but I doubted that the question meant his personality

'_He acts like I don't exist.'_ Next option

'_He jokes around with me a lot, in a nice way.'_ Fabian and I were friends so we did joke around a lot, however I still got the feeling that the quiz was asking about unusual behavior for him.

'_He curses and swears a lot.'_ I can't even remember a time when Fabian has ever used fowl language so I will label this as a firm no.

'_He seems to act normally when we're in a group of people, but if we're alone, he seems kind of nervous.'_ I really had to think about this option. At school or at dinner, Fabian and I were always friends with no awkwardness. But then there were those rare moments, especially when we were in the attic alone, where something was left unsaid. It was strange, so I picked this option.

Amber was practically glowing with excitement as she moved the cursor over the submit button. It was short and asked no real, pertinent questions so I doubted that the answer would be correct. Secretly, however, I wished that this ridiculous quiz would give me some good news.

"And now….for the moment we have all been waiting for…" I glared at Amber as she turned the laptop away from my view so that she was facing me.

"Come on, Amber. Just read it. I still need to meet up with Fabian." I would never admit it, but I held my breath as I heard the click meaning that she had submitted my answers.

And then she spoke. "You're score is 21, ranking in the 20 or higher category. If you ranked this high, the guy is DEFINITELY interested. He is showing many or all of the signs of being interested in you. Whatever you've done right up to this point, don't stop! It sounds like he's practically drooling over you."

Amber was squealing as she stopped reading, but I sat there in a trance. "That can't possibly be all it says!" I grabbed the laptop and swung it back so I could see what my results were. Sure enough, they read exactly as Amber had said, minus the loud squealing of course.

Amber was cheerfully clapping her hands chanting over and over again, "I knew it! I knew it! Yes, yes, yes!" I just stared at her.

"How can you be so happy! This doesn't prove anything! I have to go meet Fabian."

I stood swiftly, brushing by her on the bed to reach to door. I blinked the tears out of my eyes, unwilling to go meet Fabian looking upset. It wasn't his fault that he didn't like me. Just like it wasn't his fault that he was so irresistible.

The stairs creaked as I all but slid down them. I realized that the quiz had taken a bit longer than five minutes and I felt terrible for making Fabian wait. I briefly questioned what he needed to ask me in private, but I brushed the thought away as I walked into the common room.

He was sitting there, on one of the couches, completely oblivious to my presence. He was gripping his head in his hands which I took to be a sign that he was both nervous and possibly panicked. I rapped my knuckles across the door frame to alert Fabian to my presence. I fought back a laugh as his head shot up.

"Nina!"

I smiled at him, praying that it didn't show any signs of my inner turmoil. "You needed to speak with me?" I was reminded of the answer on the quiz when he glanced down at his hands before looking back to my face with a small smile.

"Nina Martin, would you fancy going for a walk with me?"

I giggled behind my hand as I shook my head yes. "Fabian Rutter, I would very much fancy joining you for a walk." He sighed in relief, then as an afterthought, he offered me his arm which I gladly slipped mine through.

I relished the cool breeze on my face and flowing through my hair. I shoved all thoughts of the quiz and the horrible thoughts of Fabian not liking me to the back of my mind as we strolled across the campus. I noticed Fabian fidgeting nervously, which again brought the quiz back to the front of my mind. Fabian really did get nervous whenever we were alone like this. I wasn't sure whether this was a good or bad sign. Boys truly were puzzling.

To distract myself from thoughts which would damper my mood, I turned my head up to face Fabian. He had his eyes squeezed tight and his lips were moving with no sound coming out. It looked like he was preparing to say something, something very difficult to say.

I rested my hand on his shoulder. "Fabian." His eyes snapped open, making contact with mine. "Why did you want to talk to me?"

I felt a shudder run through his body, and I fought back shuddering as well. He wore his thinking frown for a moment, then a flash of disappointment, before he adorned his happy face. "I thought we could talk about this whole mystery, like in the beginning before Amber and Patricia."

"I would love to discuss the mystery with you Fabian." He smiled in relief. "Except first, I want to know why you really wanted to talk to me." I watched as his face fell back into panic. "Please…" We stared at each other, locked in the moment with the wind blowing around us. It was so tempting to lean up and claim his lips, but there was no way he would want me too. I was only a friend to him.

His arms enveloped me, pulling me close to him without an inch of space between us. I gasped in shock at his quick actions. I attempted to turn my face up to see his, but his words stopped me. "Don't Nina. I need to tell you something, but there is no way I have to courage to tell you if I am looking at you."

I stopped struggling against him, and instead wrapped my arms around his back. I could feel him relax a bit as he sucked in deep breaths of the cool winter, almost spring, air. I waited patiently for him to mentally prepare himself. I could wait forever in his arms, as cheesy as it sounds, I knew it was true.

"Nina. We have known each other for a few months now. You have become my best friend. I trust you more than anybody I have ever known before. I knew from the moment I saw you, well maybe not that exact moment, but well, I knew you were special. Sheesh, now I just sound corny."

He stopped talking, most likely out of frustration. I rubbed soothing circles on his back, urging him to continue. He took a few deep shuddering breaths before plowing forward. "Nina you are an amazing girl: intelligent, witty, beautiful…What I am trying to say is, Nina Martin, I like you…a lot."

I felt his body completely relax as if a heavy burden had just been lifted. "I know." I hadn't meant to speak aloud, but it just slipped out. He pulled back a bit to look at my face.

"You know!" I bit my face as I stared up into his skeptical face. I nodded, not entirely trusting myself to speak just yet. "Care to explain?"

I refused to look into his eyes, choosing instead to look at the grass beneath our feet. "Amber?"

He gave a breathy chuckle. "How did Amber know?"

"Well she sorta made me take this quiz online called 'Does He Like Me?' She was positive that you liked me though, which is kinda why she was squealing your name."

"How could a quiz possibly tell a person whether another person likes them!"

I grinned cheerfully up at him. "That's what I said!" We both laughed, forgetting entirely about Fabian's confession a minute earlier. It took forever for the two of us to control our fit of laughter, and by the time we stopped, I found that we were lying next to each other on the ground. We were both on our backs facing the sky, grins spread across our faces.

I rolled over, leaning on one arm, to face him. "So you like me?" He immediately turned a flaming red as he adopted the deer in the headlights look. He didn't look at me, much to my chagrin, but he did nod.

"Well that's good." I rolled back to the grass, switching my gaze from Fabian to the clouds above. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Fabian turn his head towards me, but I was unable to see his expression. "I like you too, Fabian."

I allowed a smile to bloom across my face when Fabian scooted closer to me and enveloped my hand with his.

_**Please Review if Anybody Wants Me To Continue This!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Just wanted to say "WOW" I had no idea so many people would like the story! I kind of wrote it originally as a oneshot, but I did leave it up to all of the amazing reviewers to decide whether I should continue or not. So here it is! Another 3000 word chapter, written in a few hours free time I had on this really boring spring break.**_

_**This time I wrote in Fabian's POV, so if he sounds a little girly, I am terribly sorry. He does seem like the shy, innocent type so hopefully I am not too off base with him.**_

_**DarkBlueDiamond: I do plan on writing a few chapters about their relationship, it's like you read my mind. I do like the idea for doing a chapter at the end about their future!**_

_**RedHeaded4Always: I totally agree with you on the whole 'like' and 'love' thing! I originally did write love down, just because I am so used to seeing that when I read fanfics, but it didn't sound right when I went back and reread it so I changed it to 'like.' Not to mention I have a phobia of the word love too, which is probably why I have so much trouble writing about it.**_

_**Got2LiveItBigTime: Yes, the quiz is real! Hopefully I got the right results when I took it as Nina, but it worked with the story anyways. I was too lazy to choose a longer quiz, hence why the one I took was only five questions. I think the quiz was on Seventeen (the magazine) website. If you type it into google, it might show up.**_

_**PrincessaRosalinda12: This chapter might as well be dedicated to you since your review gave me the idea on how to continue! I got Mick and Jerome to mess around with Fabian a bit, then Amber meddled again, only with an article instead of a quiz! Hopefully, I didn't just ruin the chapter for ya'll! Sorry! Maybe I can use your prank idea in the next chapter!**_

_**TICKLES3000:  Haha! Patience! We had to wait like 60 (or 30) episodes for them to kiss on the show! A few chapters of suspence shouldn't be too painful! :p**_

Nina Martin likes me. Nina Martin likes me. Nina Martin likes me. I was pacing around Mick and my room repeating those words to myself over and over. It had been a week since I had told her that I liked her, but nothing! We still hung out…like friends. We still talked…like friends. We still did everything…LIKE FRIENDS.

Don't get me wrong; I love having Nina as a friend. It's just that I expected something to happen after I told her that I liked her. Especially when she said that she liked me back! I was so preoccupied with my internal struggle that I neglected to hear the door open. I continued my frenzied pace back and forth, mumbling ineligibly to myself.

"Yo, mate! What's got you so worked up this time?" My head snapped towards the door to see Mick grinning at me. Of course he wouldn't understand what I was going through. Though he did have a lot of experience with girls…

"Mick! How do you do it?"

"Woah, mate! Do what?" Mick held his hands up defensively.

"How do you…" I glanced around the room nervously. "You, know, get a girl to date you?"

"Sorry, I'm not sure if I heard you right. Did FABIAN RUTTER just ask MICK CAMPBELL advice about how to GET A GIRLFRIEND?" I threw a pillow at Mick's head which he easily dodged.

"Shhh! I don't want anyone to hear you. This is serious!"

I fell back against my bed as the door opened to reveal the smirking face of none other than Jerome. "Correct me if I am wrong, but did somebody just say that Fabian Rutter is getting a girlfriend?" I squeezed my eyes shut tight as I heard Mick respond with an affirmative. "Oh this I have to see! Do continue Fabian."

I gave up easily. I was desperate, which was painfully apparent if I was actually about to ask advice from Jerome and Mick. I would be better off just screaming it from the Anubis House roof.

"Look guys, I really like Nina…"

I was going to continue when I saw the 'no duh' face they were both giving me. I rolled over, burying my head into my pillow.

"Go on, mate."

"Well last week, I told her." I could hear Jerome's loud chortle, but I chose to ignore it for now. "She said she liked me back, but nothing has happened. What am I supposed to do?" I rose my head a bit to peek up at Jerome, who was leaning against the wall with a confident smirk, and Mick who was now leaning back against his headboard.

"Well after you asked her to be your girlfriend, you just jump into dating. You know, taking her to restaurants, going into town on the weekends, holding hands in the hall at school."

"I didn't ask her to be my girlfriend yet." I still had be mouth buried into my pillow so my words came out muffled.

"Could you repeat that?" I rolled my eyes at Jerome's cocky words.

I lifted my head all the way. "I said, I didn't actually ask her to be my girlfriend yet." I received two blank stares. "I told her I liked her. She said she liked me back. What else was I supposed to do?"

Both of the boys broke out into uncontainable laughter at my expense. I was tempted to hide under the covers and never show my face again, but I settled for glaring at them instead.

"Y-You're supposed to…ask the girl out…before you admit…you like her!" Jerome was really loving my misery at this moment. It was my turn to stare at them blankly. You ask the girl out BEFORE telling her you like her? How on earth was I supposed to know THAT!

"Poor boy, he needs more help than I thought."

"Sorry mate, but I am gonna have to agree with Jerome on this one."

"Ugh, just leave me alone guys!" I watched both of them leave, still chuckling jokes under their breath. I slammed my head back into the pillow to wallow in my humiliation and misery. Nina must think I am an absolute joke!

Quite some time passed before I heard the door squeak open again. I shifted deeper into the pillow, not wanting to see Mick.

"I heard that you could use some help. I thought maybe this could be of assistance." I was mildly surprised to hear Amber's voice. I felt a shift on the bed, as if she set something down, before she made a hasty exit.

Once the door clicked shut, I lifted my head to see Amber's glittery pink laptop. It was closed so I lifted the top to see what she had thought would help me. Even I had to choke back laughter when I saw the headline of the article she had open: How to Get a Girl to Be Your Girlfriend. There was a small paragraph underneath which I scanned through.

"_Is there a girl you're interested in? You're ready to make it official and ask her to be your girlfriend, but you're terribly nervous-what if she says no? What if the question doesn't come out the right way? Follow these steps to help get a girl to be your girlfriend."_

I had to agree, this certainly sounded like how I felt, but I still never put much trust in this kind of stuff. I knew Alfie used websites like this and we all saw how he acted. I was about to shut the laptop, but I found that I just couldn't. As ridiculous as this "How to" article might be, I was a desperate guy. If my friends weren't going to help, why not enlist the services Amber provided?

"Okay then, Fabian. Here it goes." I scrolled down to Step One: Make Sure She Likes You.

'_If she's sending you mixed signals, try spending a little more time with her until you feel confident about how she feels. Keep in mind that you'll have to be 100% sure; the point being made here is to not ask too early. If you're only just beginning to get to know her and you immediately ask her to be your girlfriend, she will say no because she doesn't know you well enough, and the resulting happiness might decrease your chances of being together. Furthermore, she will probably think you're a bit strange (in a, not so great way). One of the worst ways is to get to the "implied girlfriend" status. This is where you go out maybe once or twice, or take several times at least, the laugh, carry on, have a good time. Then, one day you sort of look at each other and ask "Hey, are we going out?" Invariably, the answer will be No. Most times, it is just worse not to ask, and to just let it happen.'_

By the time I read the last line I was banging my hand against my forehead. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" I told her I liked her, but without asking her out, we were stuck in this immobile state of friends. And worse of all, this says she will say no if I ask her out now! Just because she likes me doesn't mean she wants to actually date me! Compared to Mick or Jerome, I am a nobody. Why would she like me; this is too confusing!

Step Two: Plan Better If You Get Uncomfortable And Sometimes Don't Know What to Do Or Say.

'_Think of what you're going to say in response. Rehearse what you will say when you attempt to ask her out. If you plan on showing any affection, stick to hugs or holding hands early on. Don't come across as overly dramatic or too sensitive.'_

Not too dramatic, not too sensitive, I could handle that. And I practiced plenty before telling her that I liked her. Of course what I actually said was nothing like I planned, but Nina didn't seem to mind. She seemed almost delighted…maybe. Well anyways, it looks like I will back in front of the bathroom mirror again very soon.

Step Three: Freshen Your Breath.

'_Carry some mints in your pocket and take 1 or 2 BEFORE you talk to her. Don't say "hang on" and pop a mint in your mouth mid-conversation. She won't appreciate that. Your heart will probably be banging in your chest. This is normal. Relax. You'll be looking for the perfect moment, and it just might come. At some point you're just going to have to ask her out.'_

Oh No! I never thought about my breath before! I hope Nina doesn't notice if my breath isn't always minty fresh. I mean, I brush my teeth three times a day. I should definitely buy some mints later!

Step Four: Find a Way to Be Alone With Her.

'_The closer in age you are, the easier this is going to be, but even if you have a little bit of privacy, when walking home from school or while dancing, it's better than asking her in front of all of your (or her) friends.'_

Nina and I live in a house with eight students. Sure we are alone a lot, but there is always the possibility of one of our friends coming around the corner and ruining everything! I definitely cannot ask her at the house, which pretty much nixes school out for the same reasons. I guess my best option is to ask her to go for a walk again. Or I could ask her to go to town with me! Mick said that dating involves going into town together, so that could be a good idea.

Step Five: Give Her a Compliment.

'_"You look nice" is a short, simple statement showing that you appreciate the time she put in to her appearance. It is also a good conversational segue after __hello__. Be sure to smile and make eye contact. Don't overdo the compliments. That will make her you are kind of creepy and just plain like you less. And try not to make it too obvious that you like her.'_

Well it already is kinda obvious that I like her, but I can definitely give her compliments. She always looks beautiful, plus she is really smart. This giving compliments thing will be simple. As long as I manage to actually form words rather than babble on about nothing…

Step Six: Ask, But Only After You Really Know Her

'_There are several ways to ask a girl to be your girlfriend, and it's going to depend on how people your age refer to it. For example, "going steady" is an outdated phrase. The following are pretty timeless:_

_"Will you be my girlfriend?" Asking her to be your girlfriend is much more direct and upfront than "would you go out with me" Most girls would not prefer if you said this when asking._

_"Do you want to go out with me?"_

_"Would you like to go on a date?" If you already told the girl you liked her and she told you she likes you back, and then pop the question, don't wait a long time or she'll think you don't like her anymore.'_

I inhaled in a shaky breath as I read through the only three questions that were given. In England, we refer to dating as 'stepping out,' but I already know that Nina has no idea what that means. Actually asking her to be my girlfriend would be extremely difficult. I was terrified that she may choose to say no, or maybe she would change her mind about liking me all together. I knew that I was probably being unrealistic, but these thoughts still frightened me. It had been a week since Nina and I confessed that we liked each other, so hopefully she didn't think I no longer liked her. If anything, I liked her even more now. I suppose I will ask her on a date, then, if all goes well, I will somehow muster the courage to ask the big question (not marriage!). "Nina, will you go out with me?" Of course I can say it in the privacy of my room, but I doubt it will be so easy when I am looking into Nina's eyes.

Step Seven: Ask Her Parents.

'_It may feel weird but you will earn respect and trust.'_

I felt my heart drop when I read this. Nina's parents were both dead. I knew I could always ask her Gran, considering she raised Nina, but it felt awkward to do so. Normally it was supposed to be one of those Dad to boyfriend chats which, quite frankly, terrified most, if not all, boys. I went to scroll to the next step, but all I found were tips about being confident, blah, blah, blah.

"Finally it's over." I slid off of the bed, sliding the laptop with me. I tucked it under my arm as I made my way towards the door. I was going to return Amber's laptop, go practice asking Nina on a date with me for a few hours in the mirror, then ask Nina in person…as long as I didn't chicken out.

I hurried up the stairs, blatantly ignoring Jerome and Alfie's catcalls coming from the common room. When I reached the top step I heard the shower shut off in the girl's bathroom, but I disregarded it. I knocked three times on Amber and Nina's door, as they both shared a room.

I heard some shuffling from inside before the door flew open to reveal Amber, her hair already parted and tied into two braids. "Oh! Hello Fabian!" She pushed the door open, allowing me to enter, which I did apprehensively. My initial sweep of the room cleared my anxiety as I noticed that Nina was not there. As much as I liked being around her, I was far too nervous to speak to her right now.

"Amber, I brought you're laptop back." I held the pink laptop out to her and she happily took it from me.

"Did you read anything…oh, I don't know, interesting, when you borrowed it?" My face heated up as she stared at me with an expectant smile. "You are going to ask Nina now, right?"

"Ask me what?" I turned quickly at the sound of the prettiest voice coming from behind me. Nina was standing in the doorway looking back and forth between Amber and me, much like I had a week before.

"Fabian had something he wanted to ask you, right Fabian?" I turned to give Amber a helpless look, but she just smiled as if nothing was wrong.

I turned back to Nina, gripping the fabric of my sleeves nervously. "I-I, just wanted to say that…" I racked my brain for any clue as to how to ask what I wanted to, but all I received was a befuddled mush of thoughts. So I said the first thing that popped into my head. "That you look nice."

Nina blushed a deep scarlet, which was a very good color on her. "Umm, thanks Fabian, but I just took a shower?" I felt like a complete idiot, but it was too late to take back my impromptu compliment now.

"Come on, Fabian! It's just one, very simple question. You can do this!" I fixed my hair by running my hand through the part that fell over my forehead.

Aw, to hell with it. "Nina, will you go to town with me this weekend?" That isn't exactly what I had meant to say, but I relaxed a bit when a small smile crept across her face.

"Like…on a date?"

"Yes, exactly like a date." We both wore huge grins on our faces as Nina began to shake her head yes.

I faintly heard Amber squealing out how adorable we were, but she faded into the background as Nina threw her arms around my neck in a hug. It shocked me for a moment, but I quickly recovered and slid my arms around her as well. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Amber jumping up and down, clapping her hands gleefully.

A few seconds passed with Nina and I gripping eachother in a tight embrace before we both pulled away. The hug ended far too early in my opinion, but I soon changed my mind when I felt Nina's soft lips press against my cheek. I exchanged goodnights with the two girls and made it back to my room in a hazy blur. Mick just shook his head at my dazed expression, a smile still planted firmly on his own face.

"Bout time, mate."

_**Sooo...once again, I failed at making a good ending scene. Next chapter: Fabian and Nina's First Date! Please Please Please review if you are an ingenious prankster like Alfie and Jerome cause I really want to try PrincessaRosalinda12's pranking idea, but I have never pranked a person in my entire life!**_

_**I Promise to update within the next day or two, it will be sooner if I can get a good prank idea! I am about to go search google to get some ideas, but ya'll all come first!**_

_**Thanks a ton for the thirty reviews on the first chapter! Ya'll Are all Absolutely Amazing!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**I am terribly sorry for the extremely late update. I ran into a bit of a friend crisis, then I had a trip, and just recently boy trouble. My life is pretty hectic right now, so hopefully I can update this sooner than I did with this chapter. I apologize for making everybody wait, and also for not making this chapter about Fabian and Nina's date. This is the friday before their date and I tried to write some pranks from Jerome and Alfie. The next chapter will be the first date, promise!**_

_**PrincessaRosalinda12: Once again, thank you for the prank idea!**_

_**amoridere: Your review was great with all of the pranking ideas! Two of them in particular were my favorites, but only one of them is in this chapter. The other one will be in the next chapter, and I may use a few of the others randomly throughout the story. Thanx and SIBUNA! **_

_**DarkBlueDiamond: I also really liked your ideas! The liquid eyeliner does appear in this chapter, though not exactly in the way you and amoridere suggested! ;p**_

_**TICKLES3000: No worries, how could I possibly write a Fabina story without making them kiss for real eventually!**_

_**happy: The movies will be one idea for their first date, I have a few ideas up my sleave, and you know I am going to make it awkward! **_

_**Fabeslover99: I also really like your restaurant idea. I am going to tweak it a bit, so I hope you enjoy the next chapter!**_

_**RedHeaded4Always: I love long reviews (just had to use the 'L' word, I know!) Thanx for the compliments. I really am trying to keep all of the characters close to how they actually appear on the show. I definitely made Fabian pull a girl stunt at the end of this chapter, but oh well. I can't wait to read the story you are writing!**_

_**Pandacat1bagillion: Well technically it was only a kiss on the cheek, so I might use the internet for their first kiss. This chapter, they use the computer, but it doesn't involve Amber or any quizzes or articles, sorry. I will go back to those with my next chapter.**_

_**Fabina4ever13: I did get that quiz online.**_

_**name here please: I do try to write like I read in books, but I find it to be far more difficult than I thought it would be. I'm glad you think the writing style is good! By the way, I just have to say that I absolutely love the picture you have as your profile pic!**_

**_Jerome's POV_**

"Alfie, it's time to set up the arsenal."

I had an evil smirk spread across my face as I burst into the room Alfie and I shared. He was upside down on his bed trying to juggle. Most people would find this extremely strange, but for Alfie, this was usual behavior. Now if I had come in to find him sitting quietly reading a book…well, then I would be worried.

I laughed when my sudden outburst caused Alfie to fall off the bed, landing on his head. He glared at me for a second before he joined in on my laughter.

"Come on, man! I almost had it!"

"Training for the circus can wait. We have one day to combine our genius skills and create the ultimate prank." I sat down in my desk chair, spinning it around to face Alfie. I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees and leaning my head on my intertwined fingers.

I watched closely as a wide smirk spread across Alfie's face. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Alfie, Alfie, Alfie. I just happened to be upstairs when I…overheard a very interesting development."

"Don't make me beg, Jerome! Just spit it out already!" Alfie, still on the ground, looked as excited as I felt. We were the masters of practical jokes. It was only natural for the two of us to be excited about a possible prank.

"Our dear friend and housemate, Fabian Rutter, has just achieved the impossible. The poor fool finally managed to ask the American on a date."

"No way! It seems like just yesterday when he took his first steps." Alfie did a dramatic pose, wiping non-existent tears from his eyes.

I shook my head in an affirmative, the evil smirk reappearing on my face. "Let's get pranking."

_**Nina POV**_

"OMG! AMBER! He asked! He finally, finally asked!" Amber and I were currently jumping around the room, squealing in our excitement.

Fabian Rutter, my best friend in the entire world, had just asked me to go into town with him…ON A DATE. After a grueling week of awkward silences and shifting gazes, he had finally broken the ice. It had gotten to the point where I doubted that our 'walk' had ever even happened. I was so glad that Fabian hadn't stopped liking me, which is what had occupied my mind for most of this past week.

"Oh, Nina! I am so happy for you two! Please, please, PLEASEEEE let me make you two a scrapbook." Amber was gripping onto my arm, still jumping up and down with pure excitement. I wasn't really sure about her whole scrapbooking idea, but I didn't have the heart to say no, especially not while I was so euphoric.

"Of course, Amber! That would be great!" We continued our dance around the room for another five to ten minutes before we heard Trudy calling for dinner. Amber and I quickly checked to make sure our hair wasn't sticking up at any crazy angles before we made our descent down the stairs. Neither of us could wipe the grins off of our faces, but I was even more excited to see that Fabian was still wearing one of his own.

It had been a few months since I had come to stay in the House of Anubis, so I was a little shocked to see all eight meals covered by trays. The only time the meal had ever been served this way was when Alfie's parents had joined us for dinner, well the dinner I wasn't actually there for, but I still heard about it.

Apparently, judging from the expressions on six of my fellow housemate's faces, they were not expecting the fancy setting either. We all shrugged it off, except for Patricia who stood by the door with a haughty expression.

"What's all this Trudy?" I looked over to the opening in the wall to where Trudy was washing some dishes.

"Oh dearie, Jerome and Alfie insisted on setting the table tonight. Why, I hadn't even noticed, sweetie. Don't worry though, I cooked the food." Trudy winked before disappearing around the corner, probably to finish up some laundry.

Patricia finally made her way over to the table, taking the seat at the head of the table across from me. We were all looking at the large shiny coverings apprehensively; this is Alfie and Jerome we're talking about.

Mick was the first to react, lifting the cover then setting it on the floor behind him. Mara lifted hers next, though far less quickly, as she peered underneath before lifting it entirely, most likely worried that something would jump out at her. Patricia and Fabian took theirs off as well, and I followed their example seconds later.

The food appeared to be untouched, so the table dug in, forgetting entirely about the two people still absent from the table. I glanced over at Amber as I took the first bite of my food. She had her 'concentrating' face on, and she had yet to remove the covering.

"Well, Alfie, it looks like your alien theories may be true after all. Looks to me like Amber just got her brain sucked out through a straw."

"Eww, Jerome! That's disgusting! And that would never happen; I am far too pretty." Everybody laughed as Amber tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"Haha, very funny. Well if, in truth, you still have your brains, what little there were in the first place, then why haven't you begun eating?"

I was curious to hear Amber's answer as well. It wasn't often I saw Amber in such deep concentration; apparently it caused wrinkles. Jerome and Alfie both made their way to their seats at the two only remaining places at the table.

"Well, if you must know, I was just thinking…"

"Amber Millington…thinking! Oh dear God, the apocalypse is coming!"

Amber huffed, upset at the interruption. "As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, I was just wondering why there was paper with writing on the inside of all of the tray coverings."

Jerome and Alfie were both sniggering while the rest of us looked confusedly at Amber. "As much as I love the attention, just check for yourselves. I can't always be the genius." I rolled my eyes, but complied. I reached around to pick up my tray. On the inside dome, there was a pink piece of paper taped, just like Amber had said.

I pulled the paper out to get a better view of the writing. It read in fancy calligraphy writing: "first comes love." I felt a blush warm up my cheeks when I read the note. That certainly was unexpected. I looked up again to see everyone else holding a piece of pink paper as well, other than Jerome and Alfie who were giving each other a high five from across the table.

"Okay weasels, why do I have a piece of paper with Fabian and Nina's names on it?" Patricia looked annoyed, which was actually quite common for her. However, why would Jerome and Alfie tape all of these to our trays?

Jerome leaned forward, directing his gaze to Mara, who was on his right. "Patience, Patricia. What does yours say, Mara?"

Patricia sneered then mumbled some kind of insult under her breath which I didn't quite catch. I directed my gaze towards Mara as she began talking. I was almost positive that she was blushing.

"Oh, well, uh it says 'then comes marriage.' I don't really understand it myself." Mara looked up apologetically at the rest of us, but my heart had stopped. No way…they didn't really…

Jerome looked across the table to Mick, who appeared to be upset about the disturbance while he should be eating. "And yours?"

"Just a bunch of rubbish." Mick shoved the paper across to Mara, then grabbed his fork and began shoveling down his food.

All eyes turned back to Mara, as I dreaded the next words. "This one says "sitting in a tree'."

"Okayyy, my turn. It says 'then comes a baby in a golden carriage.' How cute is that! When Victoria Beckham has children I just know that David is going to buy the baby a golden carriage."

Everybody rolled their eyes at Amber. "Moving on. Nina, why don't you read yours? Then Fabian can read his."

I glanced over at Fabian to find that his face was completely scarlet. Since I grew up with this rhyme, I had a fairly good idea of what his paper said. That realization only caused my cheeks to grow redder. "Oh nothing important really. I am starving though."

I made to grab my fork and follow Mick's lead, but Alfie stopped me. "Go on Nina! Read what it says. You wouldn't want to pass up a chance to solve a mystery would you?"

"Unless…perhaps you already have solved it." Jerome's snide remark had me ducking my head to hide my steadily reddening face. "Fine! 'First comes love.' Happy?"

"Delighted. Fabian?" I rolled my eyes at Jerome's cocky reply. He knows, that I know, that he knows, I know what all of these papers mean.

"You already know what it says, why have me read it out?"

"Just say it already! You lot are driving me crazy!" We all turned our shocked eyes towards Mick at his sudden outburst. I had no idea that he had even been paying any attention to us. He mumbled something about a peaked interest before swiftly plucking the paper out of Fabian's hands. "It just says 'kissing.' Now explain all of this." Mick glared at Jerome and Alfie, but they both held up their hands.

"Nina is the expert in this department. I bet she figured it out by the third card. I heaved a heavy sigh when all eyes turned back onto me.

"Why can't we ever just eat a meal like normal people? You know, asking each other about our days, discussing homework, talking about the latest gossip?"

"Boring." I glared at Alfie; he was so not helping.

"Please Nina; I want to know what all of those cards mean!" I looked at Amber's expectant face and was immediately reminded of the scrapbook incident half an hour ago in our room.

I closed my eyes tightly. "It's just an old nursery rhyme commonly used in America when teasing two people who…like each other." I glanced in Fabian's direction to see a blush still spread across his cheeks.

"How does it go?" This time it was Mara who looked expectant. Surprisingly, Patricia was just sitting coolly in her chair, glaring at every one in general.

"And make sure you say ALL of the cards, as in don't forget the first one."

I snuck a quick glance towards Fabian again, but his eyes were darting anywhere except in my direction. We may be going on a date, but we could both still be embarrassed. The Date! That's why Jerome and Alfie are doing this! They must have found out somehow.

"No."

Jerome looked taken aback as the smirk immediately disappeared from his face. "No?"

"Nope. You can say it if you want to hear it so bad." Jerome sat there gaping like a fish, obviously not expecting me to refuse to play along on his little practical joke. I was far too embarrassed to actually say it anyways, especially since I was one of the names in the rhyme.

"I know how it goes." I was not expecting Patricia to speak up. Other than Jerome, Alfie, and I, Patricia was the only other occupant of the house who didn't look completely confused. "I used to have 'play dates' with one of my father's business associates daughters. They were American, and she was annoying."

Fabian finally made eye contact with me, with a questioning face. I just shook my head. We were both doomed to suffer the humiliation caused by a rhyme meant for first graders.

"Nina and Fabian

Sitting in a tree

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

First comes love

Then comes marriage

Then comes a baby in a golden carriage."

There was a lot of exchanging of confused faces before everyone other than Fabian and I burst into laughter. After years of hearing it, I honestly didn't find it very funny, but considering the rest of them had never heard it…

Fabian and I quickly excused ourselves. "Looks like they want to get started a bit early on that baby." Jerome's remark earned a whole other round of laughing from our housemates; even Patricia let out a chuckle.

"Very mature, Jerome." Fabian slipped his hand in mine, pulling me out of the room. "Is that rhyme always so funny?" Fabian asked me quietly as we made our swift exit.

I giggled a bit under my breath. "Only when the people get embarrassed." Fabian smiled shyly at me which sent my heart soaring. We ended up sitting in his room, him on the bed and me on a stool, talking about anything that popped into the conversation. It felt so natural, just being around him.

"So did you finish your history paper?" History was rapidly becoming my favorite subject, mostly because Fabian and I always partnered up for projects.

"Yep, finished it right before dinner. How about yours?"

I blushed, for probably the hundredth time, as Fabian sent me one of his heart-melting grins. How could he still be single?

"Umm, yes? Well no. I have a bit more to finish up, but I am practically done."

"Well it's already nine…"

"What! No way, already!"

"Afraid so." I smiled apologetically at Fabian as I quickly stood up to leave. I was tempted to kiss him on the cheek again, but I chickened out and opted for a hug instead. When he wrapped his arms around my waist, I thought for a moment that he might not let go, but unfortunately, his arms did loosen after a few seconds. I immediately missed the warmth he provided.

"Goodnight Fabian."

"Night Nina." I walked to my room in complete bliss, ignoring the snickers I heard from inside Jerome and Alfie's room.

A few minutes later I had my research spread out in front of me, laptop open, as I edited my paper. Fabian and I had both agreed to write our papers about Egyptian myths. The myth I chose was the story of Osiris and Isis. Fabian had chosen to write his paper on Hathor, since her name translates to House of Horus.

When I reached the end of my paper, I found a bunch of babbling talk about how much I 'loved Fabian' and how I wanted to 'have his babies' just like Osiris and Isis gave birth to their son Horus. I rolled my eyes as I deleted the added on paragraph. Now I know why Jerome and Alfie were late to dinner.

Amber skipped into the room just as I finished saving the document. I would print it in the morning so I could turn it into Mr. Winkler during history class tomorrow. Amber and I talked briefly as we could already hear Victor giving his "I want to hear a pin drop" speech. Luckily, the movie she had just watched with the rest of the house had distracted her from what happened at dinner, therefore, I didn't have to listen to her gush over how adorable Fabian and I were as a couple. As much as I liked Fabian, I still got pretty embarrassed when people said that, especially since technically we weren't even boyfriend and girlfriend.

The next morning passed in relative silence. Jerome and Alfie spent most of the morning locked away in their room, most likely planning their next great scheme. Mick went out for a jog which was no surprise. Patricia seemed to be in a slightly better mood today, though she still wasn't much into talking unless it was a rude or sarcastic comment. Mara was quiet as usual. Amber did most of the talking, just random gossip from all of the magazines she reads.

Fabian and I exchanged a lot of secret glances, mostly conveying our relief of not having to face Jerome or Alfie. We walked over to school together as it had become routine ever since my second day here. We chatted about our topics for our history assignments and some of the current house drama. I decided not to humiliate myself by telling Fabian about the sabotage to my paper that I discovered last night.

The day passed slowly, and we soon learned why Jerome and Alfie had been holed up in their rooms for most of the morning. They had somehow managed to sneak into Amber and my room while the rest of us ate breakfast. Amber now had black streaks in her perfect blonde hair due to the liquid eyeliner the two pranksters had put on her brush.

She had tried to wash it out before school, but before she even got a chance, we had a run-in with Victor. She forgot all about her ruined hair in the mad dash out of the house. Well she forgot right up until she looked into the bathroom mirror. By then she was beyond hysterics, but nobody stopped her when she attacked Alfie with her purse.

I slumped into my history seat, banging my head onto the desk. "Rough day?"

I jumped in my seat at the familiar voice. Fabian was grinning down at me, though I could see the sincerity of the question reflected in his eyes. "Oh, you know. Just the usual struggle to survive in the dangerous world of English boarding school."

We both laughed at the memory of the first time I said that. I find that I quite like his laugh. It is warm and comforting, and it never fails to send my heart beating wildly in my chest.

"Quiet down, everyone. I know it is Friday, but hopefully everybody remembered their history paper was due today." There were a few groans which resounded through the room, but I just smiled over at Fabian. He caught my glance, smiling back as he pulled his paper out of one of his folders.

Mr. Winkler walked around the room, picking up papers as he went. The table where I was sitting was the last one that Mr. Winkler walked up to, as we were in the front corner.

"Fabian, Nina, I was wondering if I could read your papers to the class. Considering we are doing a unit on Egyptian mythology, and both of you wrote about Egyptian myths, I believe the class could benefit."

Fabian and I were never the type to turn down a teacher, or anyone for that matter, so we both agreed to allow Mr. Winkler to read our papers aloud. He read my paper first, and I made sure to watch Jerome and Alfie as Mr. Winkler neared the end. Just as I thought, both looked confusedly at each other when nothing embarrassing was said. I just sighed in relief. I can't even imagine what would have happened if I had not revised the paper last night.

Fabian's paper was quite entrancing. Rather than hearing Mr. Winkler's voice say the words written by Fabian, my imagination replaced it with Fabian's voice. I was in my own little dream world where Fabian's voice took hold of all of my senses.

"The following is an excerpt of a song written by the Egyptians to describe the goddess Hathor:"

I glanced over at Fabian, missing the first few lines as I became distracted by Fabian. I watched as his face changed from slight embarrassment of hearing his paper read aloud to the class, to confusion, and then to complete mortification and shock. He looked completely speechless as he stared up in horror at Mr. Winkler. I quickly redirected my attention to what was being read.

"When we met, two souls united

Believe me, it's true, when I look at you

I feel found, out of darkness for the first time

I feel needed, when you turn to me for help

I am sound, whenever you're around

Now here we are, linked forever

And every day, you cross my mind, cause

When you laugh, I smile

When you cry, I break down inside

When you give up, I am there

Cause, Nina, you're that girl"

My eyes must have been the size of saucers as I heard the last line. Mr. Winkler seemed entirely confused as he reread the song. And then it clicked. Not only had Jerome and Alfie changed my paper, but they had messed with Fabian's as well.

I turned slightly to look at Fabian who now had his head buried in his arms. "Did you write that?"

Then all chaos arose as Jerome and Alfie began laughing which spread throughout the classroom. This was far worse than dinner last night. I watched helplessly as Fabian slid out of his chair, shooting a fiery glare which went entirely unnoticed by the two laughing buffoons, and dashed quickly out of the room.

Mr. Winkler looked back and forth between me and the door. "I suppose this is class dismissed."

I was the first person out of the door. I knew exactly where to find Fabian.

_**Sorry for the rushed ending. I know this chapter sucks, so hopefully the next one will focus more on Fabian and Nina's relationship. And I hope the rhyme is familiar to everyone. I was thinking about ideas for pranks and the closest thing I ever got to pranking was when I made fun of my friends by singing that. I think I fail at humor though, so next chapter I will try to write romance! (cross your fingers so that maybe I won't fail at that too) **_

_**Thanx again for all of the amazing an inspiring reviews! Continue to review if you have any ideas! Ya'll are great!**_


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